Hind's Feet

I was using The Little Black Book today, thinking about Lent.  When Father gave a Lenten talk this last Tuesday evening, one thing that he just swiftly passed over, but really struck me, was that our Lenten sacrifice should be something we do or don’t do that keeps us from developing a relationship with God.  I was trying to think of my time suckers... things that keep me from reading the Bible, or praying... the Little Black Book says don’t just pull from the file of resolutions we keep in the back of our mind...  my files always include fasting, or “no tv” or “no social media” - but I realized my main hindrance to a relationship with Christ is my lack of self-discipline to just make time to be with Him. As I jotted down ideas in the book, I noticed that instead of discipline, I accidentally wrote disciple.  A-ha!    It takes discipline to be a disciple! Discipline - Latin  disciplina  "instruction given, teaching, learning, knowledge,...

In the morning I put up all the chores on the dry erase board that need doing that day, minus the ones I plan to do myself.   One by one the Middles pick one (put their initial by it) go do it, then come back and erase it.  The Littles get to pick whose helper they are going to be.  Twenty-one chores divided by three Middles is seven chores each (the pets have already been done and erased). So the theory is that after one has claimed, done, and erased seven chores, they can quit.  This is meant to inspire speed... faster workers get first pick... slower workers get stuck with the less desirable chores.  However, there are usually one or two kids who just keep going until everything is done and erased, and one slower child who only has to do a couple of items.  :)

Your eye is the lamp of your body.  When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.  Luke 11:34 "...open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ " Acts 26:18

“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.  Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” Luke 11:33-36

Your word is a lamp to my feet  and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life... Proverbs 6:23

The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Isaiah 60:19 The LORD is my light and my salvation;  whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 John 10:  "At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.    The works that I do   in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and th...

Love this yunomi cup by a talented young potter named  Marshall Sykes The green wool is a mitten I'm knitting for Lydia. The Rowan Colourscape yarn doesn't know what it wants to be yet... For now just "granny circles".

I like to do all of our family work together at the table in the morning.  After lunch and a break, we start up again in the afternoon with computer time, individual work, and one-on-one moments as needed.  Since we have one computer that we use for typing, Teaching Textbooks math, IXL.com (math), and ReadingEggs.com (phonics for the pre-readers/beginning readers) AND our music theory software, I have figured out a way to juggle the one and only computer, AND the one and only mama, between kidlets...  I like to use Post-it tabs so I can move things around on a page and figure out who goes where and when.    Here is a loose schedule of our daily routine: (Click here!)    And here is a photo of how I use the Post-it tabs (oops, yes... some real names are revealed!).  The end result is entered into ScheduleBreeze.com and printed out for my Home Management binder.  I review and make changes as needed every two months.

On Tuesdays we go on Nature Walks through our woods.  Today the girls were on the look-out for algae, fungi, and other nonvascular plants.   If you click on the photo of the tree stump (bottom photo) you can see the  fruiting body of some sort of mushroom beginning inside, along with some rain water.

The quality of mercy is not strain'd, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes: 'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown; His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, The attribute to awe and majesty, Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; But mercy is above this sceptred sway; It is enthroned in the hearts of kings, It is an attribute to God himself; And earthly power doth then show likest God's When mercy seasons justice. Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice (Act IV, Scene I)

Yesterday I was in the W.C. a moment too long, apparently, when I saw Bronwyn's fingers and golden locks appear under the door. "Mama, can you get out?" "No, not right now." I hear rummaging around in a drawer in the hall. "Bronnie, what are you doing?" "Looking for sump-ing to get you out." "I can get out, I'm just not ready to get out." "Are you washing your hands?" "Not yet." "Mama, wash your hands right now!  See if you can get out." Later that evening I was getting ready to go out, and I couldn't find my Phillips Light Touch Hair Brush... now, this is not paid advertisement for Phillips, but this brush does not pull or hurt... it glides through tangles like slicing warm butter... so you can imagine in a houseful of girls, this brush is in high demand.  Since I could not find *my* brush, I picked up a random brush I found on my nightstand (happened to be a Conair Gel ...

"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."  - Sagar Parsi

Fanny will be five in nine days.  I am still trying to figure out what to give her.  Any ideas?  The conversations go like this.... Mama (46! Since yesterday!!):  Fanny, what do you want for your birthday? Fanny (4, for now):  Penguins Mama: You have been asking for penguins for every birthday and Christmas since your second birthday, you have a lot of penguins.  What else do you want? Fanny: A bike. Mama: Soon there will be snow, and it will be cold riding bikes.  You will get a new bike when the weather is warm again.  What do you want now? Fanny:  School books.

Mary, Catherine, Lydia and I briefly discussed where the chickens were roosting as we left to go to a friend's house last night.  After a minute of silence, Bronwyn (3) said.... "Chickens" "I can say the same words you guys say." Mama: "Yes, you can, but sometimes I can't understand your words.  I'm not always sure what you mean when you say 'I vewy fursty'" Bronwyn:"You don't know what fursty mean?  Fursty mean when you fursty." Well, I'm glad we got that clarified.  Reminded me of the "what makes you sad?" conversation. "Tears make me sad" What makes you have tears? "Umm... water in my eyes" What makes you happy? "A smile on my face"

This tickles me.  I "do school" with Fanny in the afternoons but often she doesn't want to wait that long, so she will quietly take her box of workbooks to the other end of the table and put herself to work.  Something just tugs at my heartstrings to see a four-year-old so studious.  :) Yes, I did my nails while they were working on their workbooks.  Busted!  :D  And Elizabeth came home from out and about and brought me a Frappacino.  Don't worry, I didn't drink that big thing alone.  No sooner was it in my hand when Bronwyn was looking at it longingly saying "I sursty", and she was only the first one in line.  Yes, mamas must always share, mustn't we?  :)

We follow up our Bible time with History, because we are currently using the Old Testament for our History spine and since we already have our Bibles out for Catechism, it's handy dandy and we're good to go! We are currently in Ancient Egypt.  This is our third time through Ancient Egypt in our 11 years of homeschooling as I like to rotate through history from Ancient to Modern times and back again.  Each time through the children are at a different level and take away different things.  Along with the Bible I use a family study handbook by Simply Charlotte Mason curriculum called "Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt" .  This handbook gives me ideas on how to expand our lesson with narration, suggests highlights to add to our timelines, and offers up some hands on activities to try. Throughout our study of Egypt we also use the Oxford First Ancient History book, David Macaulay's enchanting book "Pyramid", and The Mystery of the Hieroglyp...

Catechism isn't just for Catholics.  :) Our homeschool day starts with scripture memory time.   Lydia (8) and I work together on her verses in the dining room, while Mary (11) and Catherine (10) go into the living room and work together on theirs.  We set the timer for 15 minutes and, surprisingly this is sufficient!   Lydia usually gets one verse down in that time, and we still have time to work on her other verses.  I like to use the Scripture Memory booklets from Scripture Memory Fellowship .  Even though my personal favorite translations are the ESV and the NASB 1977 version, and most of our school reading is out of the NLT, we have chosen the NKJV booklets to memorize from.  For a long time I couldn't decide what translation to use for scripture memory... after all, these verses stick with you for a lifetime... but I spent so much time hemming and hawing I realized NO scripture would stick with us for a lifetime if we didn't start memorizing it, ...

I am your Parent, you are my Child I am your Quiet Place, you are my Wild I am your Calm Face, you are my Giggle I am your Wait, you are my Wiggle I am your Dinner, you are my Chocolate Cake I am your Bedtime, you are my Wide Awake I am your Lullaby, you are my Peekaboo I am your Goodnight Kiss, you are my I Love You (From the book "You Are My I Love You" by Maryann Cusimano)